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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24275890">Miraculous Party</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmicoyote/pseuds/cosmicoyote'>cosmicoyote</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Marichat May 2020 One-Shots [10]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Marichat May 2020</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 00:35:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,834</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24275890</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmicoyote/pseuds/cosmicoyote</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt Ten: Can I Borrow Your Miraculous?</p><p>Alya's little sisters want to have a spectacular, no... <em>miraculous</em> party, but the people who were to be hired to play the heroes fall ill at the last moment. It's a good thing Alya happens to know of two people willing to stand-in to play Paris's famous heroes.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Marichat May 2020 One-Shots [10]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1728427</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>62</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Miraculous Party</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>This week had been a long one. Finals were in a few weeks, so the workload had increased tenfold on top of some side projects she was working on. She had declared her phone off limits to herself after telling all of her friends in their group chat that she needed to focus.</p><p>No hanging out; no video games; not even phone calls. She even texted Chat Noir on her bug phone that she wouldn't be able to patrol this weekend because she was so busy. They would only be seeing each other if there was an akuma.</p><p>Marinette hadn't touched her phone since getting up that morning. It did wonders because what she thought would be an entire weekend's worth of work was finished by Friday night - though fairly late. She groaned with relief as she saved the last of her essay and printed it to be turned in the following Monday.</p><p>Stretching with relief, Marinette got up and picked up her phone just as she heard a light tapping on the trap door above her bed. Her phone screen said it was about an hour until midnight.</p><p>Knowing perfectly well who that was after several visits in the past, Marinette called up, "Come in, Chaton."</p><p>Chat Noir immediately opened the small door and slid in with the fluidity of the animal his miraculous represented. He smiled softly when they made eye contact and walked up to her. "Purr-ning the midnight oil, Princess?"</p><p>She gave him a lopsided smile and poked his chest as she past him to put away her school supplies. "Yes, actually - disregarding the cat pun." She was exhausted, but the hard work had been worth it in favor of being able to relax this weekend.</p><p>She texted Alya that she was free again then tossed her phone back on her desk. "What are you doing here?"</p><p>Chat grimaced then ran his hand through his hair. "Um... the thing is..." His hand traveled to the back of his neck. Two of his tells developing in stages before her eyes. His cat ears and tail gave him away when he tried to hide his emotions, but he was such an animated person, she can't imagine him not showing emotion.</p><p>Taking pity on him, she moves towards him and ruffles his hair. "Did you just miss me, Chaton?" she teases, acting maybe a touch more like Ladybug than she intended, but she was becoming more comfortable with her superhero partner as they spent more and more time together.</p><p>Normally, he graced her with his presence after he had had a long day or a hard one. He had become very comfortable with talking to her and she him. He was vague with details for the sake of keeping his identity secret, but that didn't stop him from losing his mind one night and bursting into tears. Marinette had comforted him for a long time, holding him and stroking his hair while speaking softly to him. After he had calmed down, she fed him ice cream and warm cookies then watched wholesome movies like "My Neighbor Totoro" to lift his spirits.</p><p>Even since then, Chat had visited her around once a week, usually towards the end of said week to talk, vent, and relax.</p><p>Marinette didn't mind the company. Without him flirting with her (as much), they could have normal conversations.</p><p>He flushed under his mask, and she smiled teasingly as he batted playfully at her hands. "I actually did miss you," he told her, his eyes regaining some of their gleam as they moved away from him having to explain why he was visiting.</p><p>She grinned. "Awesome."</p><p>"You mean paw-some," Chat corrected her with a smirk.</p><p>Marinette gave him a sour look then sat down on her chaise beside him. "Anyway, I just finished a load of work, Chaton. I can stay up and talk for a little while, but I think I want to go to bed before one."</p><p>"That's alright." Chat Noir smiled at her and lounged back comfortably on her couch. "Even if it's just for a few minutes, I enjoy hanging out with you, Marinette." He winked up at her, and she fought the urge to rumple his hair again just to get him back for being cheeky.</p><p>Now her face suddenly felt warm. She turned away just as her phone began playing a Clara Nightingale song to warn her of an incoming call. She got up and went to the desk, wondering who the heck was calling her this late, when she spotted Alya's caller ID: a selfie of her and Alya outside of school on their first day of the new year. That seemed like a million years ago now with all of the akuma attacks and in-school drama that had occurred since then. Most of those were caused by Lila, but Marinette didn't want to dwell on that right now.</p><p>Instead, she tapped the green button to answer and put her phone to ear. "Hey, Alya, what are you doing up?"</p><p>"Hey, girl!" chirped her best friend. "I actually just got your text about you being set for the weekend and uh... I kinda need a favor." The last four words were rushed and a few octaves higher than what they had started out as.</p><p>Marinette frowned and turned to lean on her desk.</p><p>Chat Noir, being the subtle kitty that he is, had a black cat ear cocked in her direction but wasn't looking at her. We was pretending to be fiddling with his cat phone on his baton, but she knew better. Sly thing he is not. His superpowers gave him enhanced hearing, so he could hear Alya on the other end perfectly fine.</p><p>"What kind of favor?" Marinette asked warily. Why did she have a bad feeling about this?</p><p>"So... there's this venue that hires people to dress-up as princesses, superheroes, and other characters for children's birthday parties," Alya said in a rush. "And my mom called a few weeks ago to book two people to be Ladybug and Chat Noir for the twins' birthday party tomorrow, but uh... I guess the only people they have for them are sick. They can't make it. They refunded my mom, but the twins won't have their favorite heroes there." Marinette's stomach twisted with nerves. Oh, no... She had a feeling she knew what Alya was going to ask.</p><p>"So, we need some fill-ins. You like kids, right?" Alya asked, going a million miles an hour.</p><p>Marinette closed her eyes, trying to summon her courage. She had interacted with kids tons of times, mostly as Ladybug, and she did like them but...</p><p>"Um, I dunno, Alya." She bit her lip as Chat sprang up and looked at her, his eyes round and hopeful with his cat tail swishing behind him. He was adorable, and she was annoyed at him for it. She poked his forehead then pushed him out of her face.</p><p>He yelped as he toppled off of her chaise in a heap. Luckily, Alya was too busy trying to convince Marinette to help her to notice the obvious noise going on in Marinette's room.</p><p>"Pleeeease, girl! You're just a little shorter than Ladybug! You have the same hair color and similar eyes!"</p><p>Well, at least she wasn't saying they were twins or she would pass out. "Alya-"</p><p>"Mom said she would pay you!" Alya cut in. "Apparently people can make a pretty penny with tips sometimes."</p><p>Marinette pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed loudly, her resistance crumbling.</p><p>"Adrien could be your Chat Noir," Alya purred suddenly.</p><p>Chat, who had just untangled his tail from his legs, widened his eyes and jumped up. "Wait, you don't need Adrien! I can do it!" His ears were perked forward eagerly.</p><p>Marinette shushed him and cleared her throat. She couldn't believe she was agreeing to this... but Alya needed her. "Alright. Fine. Do you have a suit I can borrow?"</p><p>Thanks, girl!" her best friend squealed, nearly taking out Marinette's eardrum. "And I have one, yes," Alya added because of course she did. "What about Chat Noir?"</p><p>"Please let me do it!" Chat mouthed to her.</p><p>Marinette pinched the bridge of her nose again as her universal sign of stress and did her best to avoid Chat's famous kitten eyes.</p><p>"I actually think he can do it. The real Chat," Marinette murmured. "We know each other."</p><p>Alya made a sound like cat coughing up a hairball. She struggled for words for a moment before sputtering, "You <em>know</em> Chat Noir personally!?"</p><p>"Yeah," Marinette waved off the nosy kitty currently all but climbing her legs to beg. "Don't go digging into it or I won't do the job," she added.</p><p>Alya hissed then made an impatient sound. "Fine, but you have to at least tell me how you know him. Do you know his civilian identity!?"</p><p>"NO!" Marinette said quickly. "He saved me a few times, we talked, we're friends. The end."</p><p>Her best friend, being an up and coming journalist, would of course want to know more, but to Marinette's intense relief, Alya dropped the subject.</p><p>"Alright. If you can both be at the venue by noon tomorrow, I'll text you the address and bring the Ladybug costume."</p><p>"Sounds good," Marinette replied. "See you tomorrow." They hung up, and Marinette rounded on Chat Noir who was pumping his fist and looking beyond excited. "Can you settle down before you wake up my parents?" she grumbled at him.</p><p>Chat slowly calmed down then perched on her chaise. "This'll be so much fun! I love kids!"</p><p>She couldn't help but smile, remembering how whenever an akuma attack involved children, her kitty was the first to try and comfort them whether they were the victim or caught up in the attack. It was also hard to get the image of baby August playing with Chat's bell and smiling up at the cat hero out of her mind's eye. It made her affection for him sky rocket.</p><p>Marinette never told him as Ladybug, though, for fear he would get the wrong idea. They were still getting over the hill of him stopping his pursuit of her superhero alter ego. Friendship was easier.</p><p>"Alright, here's the address for the venue," Marinette held up her phone to show him the text from Alya. "We better get some sleep," she added after he finished typing the location into his cat phone. </p><p>Chat Noir nodded and reached for her, his eyes soft and his smile relaxed. She walked forward and hugged him. They usually said goodbye to one another with a hug, and if she was bold enough to rub his back, his purr engine revved up and vibrated under her ear.</p><p>She gently pulled back, and he leapt onto her bed before shoving the trapdoor open with his shoulders. "See you tomorrow, Princess," he said. "Goodnight."</p><p>"Goodnight, Chat Noir."</p><p>__________</p><p>The next day saw Marinette dressed in a Ladybug costume that was slightly off from her actual one. The spots were in the wrong places and a little too small, and it also lacked her high neckline that made it look like she had a black turtle neck on. That last bit she was not about to complain about. At least she wasn't burning up too badly in the suit. It was a warm day, but the party was inside an air conditioned building.</p><p>Alya's sisters were having their birthday party at a trampoline park with all kinds of fun activities to keep the kids occupied, but she knew the moment she stepped out with her partner, they would be swarmed. </p><p>She had tied the costume's red ribbons into her pigtails and was just getting her mask adjusted when Alya came into the bathroom, her eyes wide and shining happily. "Wow! You and Ladybug could be twins!"</p><p>That was what she had been afraid of. </p><p>"But you're a little on the shorter side," her best friend teased, which caused her to relax a fraction despite the jab at her height. Alya frowned. "Your earrings are a little... not Ladybug-like. They're too dull. Here." She dug in her purse and produced a little black box. "I got these on Etsy. They're stainless steel and nice, so please don't lose them."</p><p>"I... I dunno," Marinette said nervously as Alya opened the box to show her the Ladybug earrings as they looked when Tikki was inside of them. She mentally shrieked as she thought of an excuse. "They're really nice. I wouldn't want to damage them or anything."</p><p>"That's fine," Alya said with a smile. "I trust you, girl. I know you can be clumsy, but earrings are actually in your ears with great butterfly backs." Her eyes gleamed. "I guess you can say I'm letting you <em>borrow my</em> miraculous, Marinette." She giggled.</p><p>Marinette giggled, too, though it was partially faked because of how nervous she was. "Okay. Thanks, Alya." She took the box, feeling her heart race with uncertainty as she removed her earrings and replaced them with Alya's. They did look like the real deal; in fact, they made her very real miraculous look dull while they were lacking her kwami. </p><p>As Alya left to check on party things, Marinette snuck into the back room where the food was being kept and walked over to her purse. She carefully put her miraculous into it and saw a pair of blue eyes judging her from within.</p><p>"Sorry, Tikki," she murmured. "It's just for a little while. This is for Alya's sisters after all."</p><p>Before Tikki could protest, she ducked down into the purse. A second later, the door opened and Chat Noir slipped in like the stealthy cat he was... when he wanted to be.</p><p>"Wow, Princess!" His eyes were wide, and she noticed his cheeks were suspiciously flushed. "I almost thought you were m'lady." He smirked wickedly and took her hand, placing a kiss the back of it. </p><p>Marinette giggled and rumpled his hair. "Silly tomcat. Knock it off."</p><p>He snickered just as the door opened and Alya slipped inside. Her eyes positively popped out of her head upon catching sight of Chat.</p><p>"Chat Noir! You made it!" She ran right up to him, and Marinette noticed he took a half a step back when Alya clapped her hand of his arm. "This is AMAZING! I have so many questions!"</p><p>"Alya!" Marinette hissed. "Don't be so pushy. He's here to put on a show - not give an interview."</p><p>Alya grimaced as she let go of the cat hero. "Err, right. Sorry." At least she looked apologetic. </p><p>"When do you want us to come out?" Marinette asked as Alya regained her composure.</p><p>Her bestie glanced at her phone. "The kids are on the trampolines. I can call them in for a surprise, and then you can do a meet and greet and pictures <em>before</em> cake and ice cream."</p><p>"Much appreciated," Marinette said, not wanting to face a bunch of seven year-olds pumped full of sugar.</p><p>Chat chuckled and swung his tail as he leaned against the wall. "We can handle it."</p><p>Alya gave Chat an unconvinced look then went out to get the kids.</p><p>A few moments later, Marinette distinctly heard the sounds of a dozen children scrambling in the party room mixed with the sounds of Alya and her mom trying to get them to sit down and settle. "Alright, kiddos, I have a special surprise for you," Alya said, and this caused the kids to hush for just a moment. "I want you to meet two very good friends of mine." Alya was turning up the theatrics with her tone. "You've seen them in action saving hundreds of people, including myself, and my sisters. Let me introduce... the heroes of Paris, Ladybug and Chat Noir!"</p><p>Marinette opened the door and summoned her inner (not transformed) Ladybug to leap out, roll, and strike a pose with her toy yo-yo. Chat Noir sprang alongside her on all fours then rose up and twirled his baton with a flourish. The kids positively erupted in excited squeals and cries, their smiles huge as they took in the sight of Paris's dynamic duo.</p><p>The next hour passed in a blur of signing autographs, taking pictures, and entertaining the pack of excited kids. Ella and Etta, Alya's twin sisters, ran the show and talked about how they were akumatized into the Sapotis and saved by Ladybug and Chat Noir. </p><p>Marinette couldn't help but watch Chat and how he interacted with the kids. He patiently spoke to every single one of them and answered their questions. He showed them tricks when they asked and told them cheesy cat puns. Chat was even firm but sweet when one of the kids yanked on his belt tail. He was so attentive to them, and she couldn't help but feel her affection for her partner increase even more.</p><p>When it came time to wind down, Marinette pulled away from Ella and Etta, having told them yet another story about saving some lost kittens. They focused on the animal stories; go figure. She looked around for Chat to get him to finish up when she spotted him in a corner with one of the little girls, huddled as if to keep their conversation private. She could tell even from being several feet away that the girl was crying.</p><p>Marinette didn't want to interrupt, but she caught Chat's words when she got within a few feet of them.</p><p>"Everyone's different, Anna. We all have our own strengths." He smiled and swished his cat tail. The little girl seemed transfixed by it then smiled, showing a missing front tooth. Chat smiled at her, and the little girl shyly tucked her red hair out of her face. "If anyone's being mean to you, don't listen to them, and if you get scared, tell a grown-up, okay?"</p><p>The girl, Anna, nodded and gently fidgeted with the bell around the cat hero's neck. They said their goodbyes, and Chat watched her skip off with her spirits apparently lifted.</p><p>"You're good with kids," Marinette told him after they had said goodbye to the children and were in the back room. She very quickly removed Alya's ladybug earrings and put them in their box before putting in her real ones. The moment they were in her ears, she felt more centered and less vulnerable.</p><p>Chat fidgeted with his ring. "I... yeah?" he asked lamely.</p><p>Marinette smiled warmly as she removed the mask and took out the ribbons. "Absolutely. That last girl... was she okay?"</p><p>Chat's cat ears twitched and he leaned against the table, his eyes down on his cat-toed boots. "I think she has a learning disability. She doesn't talk much." He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "When she tried to ask for a picture, one of the other girls nudged her out of the way and made her cry." He looked at her at long last. "I walked over and asked if she was okay, and she just started to cry in my arms. I... I didn't know what to do other than hold her and talk to her."</p><p>Marinette watched him hunch his shoulders and look uncomfortable. She reached out and touched his shoulder. "You did the right thing, Chaton. She just needed some comfort."</p><p>The corner of his mouth twitched. "I like kids, but I honestly don't know what to do for them half the time. My... my parents were never hands on, especially my father. I had to deal with a lot on my own." Now his cat ears were flat against his skull.</p><p><em>My poor minou,</em> Marinette thought to herself. Out loud, she murmured, "I'm really sorry, Chat. That must've been hard." She rubbed his back slowly, and he leaned into her before turning and pulled her into a hug. He rested his chin on top of her head, and they just held each other. She knew he hadn't had the most loving parents, but leaving a child to deal with hard things on his own? Despicable.</p><p>Instead of getting mad, Marinette channeled her feelings into comforting her friend and, unknown to him, her partner. She reached up and scratched his back gently in comfort. At once, his purr spurred to life, and the sound was soothing to them both as it reverberated in the small room.</p><p>The door suddenly slammed open, and they both jumped apart with matching red faces.</p><p>"You guys rocked!" Alya shouted. "Seriously, girl, thank you so much for doing that! Ella and Etta keep going on and on about meeting you guys over cake!" She beamed at Chat who was struggling to keep his blood pressure under control. "And my mom said you were really sweet to Anna. I always feel so bad for that poor kid because she's so distant and wary of people."</p><p>"Um... yeah. It was no problem," Chat said awkwardly.</p><p>Marinette smiled. "I had fun, Alya, but uh... never again."</p><p>Alya snorted. "You did fine, girl. Heck, I almost thought I had booked <em>both</em> heroes after the performance you gave."</p><p>Marinette's face went back to being red - and it wasn't because she had been caught cuddling her partner. "Th-Thanks?" she stammered out.</p><p>It seemed to take a moment for Alya to realize she had caught them hugging each other due to riding her excited high of the party going so well. Now that her gushing was done, she was looking between them suspiciously. "Did I... interrupt something?" Her eyebrows lifted.</p><p>"NO!" both Marinette and Chat Noir blurted out at the same time.</p><p>"I seeee~" Alya drew out. Her eyes had a knowing gleam in them. "I'll get back to the party then and leave you two alone." She slipped out before either one of the flustered heroes could speak.</p><p>"Um, well," Chat rubbed the back of his neck again. "I had fun, Princess, but I need to get going."</p><p>"Yeah, I should, too." Marinette was unable to meet his eyes.</p><p>Chat Noir walked back over to her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Hey, it's okay. Plus, you stayed in character pretty well." When she blinked at him, he chuckled. "I can't tell you how many times reporters and other people on the street have asked if something was going on between myself and Ladybug and she would say "no" in that exact tone. Your voice even cracked a little."</p><p>She narrowed her eyes at him, and he laughed. The tension in the room evaporated, and she punched his arm playfully.</p><p>"Meow-uch!" Chat winced and pulled a look of mock pain.</p><p>"Shush and get going, Chaton," Marinette told him. "And thanks for doing this with me."</p><p>His green eyes sparkled. "Anything for you, Princess."</p><p>Marinette tried to ignore how her heart suddenly had a desire to throw itself against her rib cage over and over.</p><p>And after a flourishing bow, the cat boy slipped out of the back room and was gone.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>They are so cute! Adrien doing his best to help children who feel left out is so heartwarming to write about. :3 </p><p>Your feedback is always a thrill to read! I hope you enjoyed! :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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